Charging device for furnaces



Nov. 15, 1932. c, cH 1,887,975

CHARGING DEVICE FOR FURNACES med July 22. 1929 s Sheets-Sheet 1 I n ven tor; C/zeSler'E Be'l'cher Nov. 15, 1932. E, BE HER 1,887,975

CHARGING DEVICE FOR FURNACES Filed July 22, 1929 s Shets-Sheet 2 w i Inventor.-

B Che sler.E.Befc/2en 9 7% 67 -4 W o g v tic/"hays NOV. 15, 1932. c E, H' R 1,887,975

CHARGING DEVICE FOR FURNACES Filed July 22. 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 In ven tor: ChesterfiBei'chert 557M16 1m I71 torne gs.

Patented Nov. 15, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHESTER E. BETGHER, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO ANNA A. BE TCHEB,

OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA CHARGING DEVICE FOR FURNACES Application filed July 22,

My invention relates to chargingdevices for furnaces and more particularly to devices for charging fuel such as fine coal into furnaces. embodiment of the invention, which has been selected for illustrative purposes, a hopper when in charging position is above a throat member with a chute member connecting the bottom of the hopper with the throat member and with a movable bottom for the. hopper upon opening of which fuel is supplied through the chute member to the throat memher and a plunger is provided for operating in the throat member to force fuel therefrom into the firebox of the furnace. An object is to provide a scraping device carried by the plunger and which moves back and forth 1n engagement with walls of the chute member to prevent the fuel from sticking thereto and clogging the forward movement of the fuel. Another object is to provide'a swinging plate carried by a projection extending back from the plunger into the bottom of the furnace, said swinging plate being so mounted that 1t occupies a more nearly vertical position when the plunger is making a charging stroke than it does when the plunger is making a retracted stroke.

The full objects and advantages of my invention will appear in connection with the detailed description thereof, and the novel features of my inventive idea will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a practical embodiment of my invention, Fig. l is a view showing the device in side elevation and in cooperative relation with a portion of a furnace shown in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a View in vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 4. Fig. 3 is a view taken similarly to Fig. 2 and showing the movable elements in a difierent position. Fig. 4 is a view taken substantially on the line 44 of Fig. 3. -Fig. 5 is a top plan view. Fig. 6 is an elevational view of a modification.

Referring to the construction shown in the drawings, the numeral 10 designates in general the frame of a truck which is mounted on a pair of wheels 12 and a pair of smaller As specifically disclosed in the 1929. Serial No. 380,026.

there is'a hopper 18 to the upper end of which a grasping handle 19 is secured. The bottom of the hopper is provided with a slide 20 supported on rollers 21. The truck just described is intended for use in cooperation with a furnace 22 having a fire-box provided with a sloping rear wall 24 and a solid bottom 26 and at the front of whichthere is a charging throat 28. A plunger 80 is adapted to be reciprocated in the throat member 28 by a rod 31 secured to the plunger and operated from a suitable source of power. Secured to the plunger for reciprocation therewith is a rod 32 to which triangular blocks 34 are secured. The blocks 34 slide on the bottom 26 and serve as pusher and stirrer blocks. The throat member 28 is connected at its front with a vertical chute having outwardly inclined side members 36 secured to the upper ends of which there are vertical plates 38 having rabbeted portions 40 as shown in Fig.4. As best shown inFig. 2, the chute is completed by a rear plate 42 and-an offset front plate 44. The latter plate does not extend up as far as the plate 42 but continues down so that its lower end is disposed adj aoent the upper side of the plunger 30. In order to prevent the coal as it is be ing fed into the firebox from sticking'to the sides of the chute and clogging the movement of the fuel, a pair of scrapers 46 is secured to the top of the plunger 30 so as to extend upwardly from the two side margins thereof I the scrapers is concave so as to produce two scraping edges 48 for each scraper. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the rear upper edge of the plunger may be provided with a sharp projection 48 to break up the coal when the plunger has retracted. Fig. 6 shows a construction which may be employed in place of one or both of the triangular blocks 84. A sleeve 50 is secured to the rod 32. This sleeve on its upper surface has arearwardly inclined fin 52. A swinging plate 54: is provided with downwardly extending cars 56 one on each side of the sleeve 50. Bolts 58 extend loosely through openings in the ears 56 and thread into the sleeve. The bolts 58 may be used to secure the sleeve to the rod 32. The upward swinging movement of the plate 5 1 is limited by the tin 52 while its downward swin ing movement is limited by an adjustable set screw 60 carried by the sleeve. While the plunger is being retracted, the plate 54: drops into the full line position shown in Fig. 6 while during the advance movement of the plunger, the plate 54 swings up into the dotted line position and assists in advancing the coal.

The operation and advantages of my invention will now be obvious. The hopper 18 carried by the truck is filled with coal from any suitable supply thereof and the truck 2. A charging device for furnaces coniprising a throat member adapted to deliver to a furnace, a. chute connected with the upper portion of said throat member, said chute having upwardly divergent side walls, a plunger operating in said throat member for forcing fuel therefrom into the furnace, and upwardly divergent scrapers carried by said plunger'in scraping engagement with said side walls.

3. A charging device for furnaces comprising a throat member adapted to deliver to a furnace, a chute connected with the upper portion of said throat member, said chute having side walls whose lower portions are is then moved into position adj acent the furnace with the pairs of wheels straddling the plunger and. operating mechanism therefor and with the lower portion ofthe hopper disposed within the rabbeted portions 40 of the chute. The slide 20 is now pulled from its closed position shownin Fig. 2 into its open position shown in Fig. 3 so that the "chute and the space thereunder in the throat member become filled with fuel. Uponforward movement of the plunger 30 a charge of fuel is pushed through the throat member into the bottom of the firebox as indicated at F in Fig. 1. This fresh charge displaces and forces upwardly the previous charge which has been ignited and is indicated at I. The scrapers having the scraping edges 48 as shown in Fig. 5 move back and forth with the plunger and keep the chute free so that it never becomes necessary to dig out clogged fuel. It will be understood that the truck normally rests upon the pairs of wheels 12 and 14. However, when it is desired to turn the truck, it may be tilted so as to rest upon the pair of wheels 12 and the pair of caster wheels 16.

I claim: v r

1. A charging device for furnaces comprising a throat member adapted to deliver to a furnace, a chute connected withthe upper portion of said throat member, a plunger operating in said throat member for forcing fuel therefrom into the furnace, and scrapers carried by said plunger in scraping engagement withthe sidewalls of said chute. 

